The Pilatus campaign to offer an alternative to fractional ownership was boosted at the end of 2001 when leading US business magazine Forbes picked the PC-12 as ‘best turboprop' on the market.
Now the Swiss company has brought its flagship business aircraft, the $2.7-million PC-12 (pictured left) here to Farnborough in an effort to tempt new UK customers. It's part of a bid to increase market share in Europe, which saw the aircraft on show at EBACE in Geneva at the end of May.
Almost 80% of the 350 PC-12s sold since the aircraft was launched in 1994 have gone to North or South American owners. Pilatus says the fact that 75% of these were bought by owner-pilots verifies its belief that the PC-12 is a cost-effective alternative to shared ownership.
The company claims the ownership and operating cost of a PC-12 is less than a quarter share of a Cessna Citation.
It says it is looking at ways to work with partners to offer a turnkey solution to the issue of maintenance.
It has sold eight of the single-engine turboprops in the past six months to new owners.
Angelo Fiataruolo, chief executive of Pilatus Business Aircraft, the Colorado-based subsidiary of Pilatus Aircraft, traces the success of the PC-12 design back to the "legendary PC-6 Porter" launched in 1959.
Of the PC-12, he says: "Its design has been proven in over 300,000 flight hours worldwide, and it delivers outstanding performance, versatility, reliability and value for over 300 customers across the globe."
Source: Flight Daily News
